1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the inventions relates to the field of vehicle seat assemblies having polymeric cushion pans.
2. Background Art
Conventional vehicle seat assemblies include a backrest member for supporting the back of a seat occupant and a seat bottom portion for supporting a person's posterior. The backrest and the seat bottom are typically connected to one another with the backrest typically being pivotable with respect to the seat bottom.
Conventional seat bottoms typically include a foam cushion covered by upholstery also known as seat trim or trim. The foam cushion is supported by a cushion pan. Conventional cushion pans are typically fabricated from steel or other metals. Metal cushion pans are typically thicker than they need to be because of the limitations associated with the manufacturing processes. While thinner metal could be used to fabricate seat cushion pans, it is difficult to obtain the desired thickness of the metal consistently across the entire metal surface using conventional metal forming processes. This results in the use of thicker sheets of metal than desired for the fabrication of seat cushion pans and, consequently, vehicle seats which are heavier and which use more steel or other metal than necessary.
It would be desirable to fabricate a seat cushion pan using a material other than metal having a lighter weight and a lower cost yet providing similar and acceptable levels of strength. Embodiments of the invention described herein address these and other problems.